PHYSICAL EDUCATION AT IT'S ROOTS

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

So the last lab has come to an end, and I am left to reflect on what I have learned from teaching at Saint Mary's. I think back to the very first lab and how incredibly nervous I was to teach my game to the students. This feeling steadily lessened as each lab flew by, and now I find that I am much more informed of the many skills that are necessary to become a quality physical educator. Coming into this course I wasn't sure what to expect, but I did come out with many value lessoned learned. I still have a lot of learning and work to do, but I now know what type of teacher I am striving to become. I love sports, and coming into physical education that is all I focused on. I have learned that there is so much more than just teaching sport skills, that a huge portion of teaching is not just the material, but the teacher themselves. Educators must give value to their lessons, a task which is difficult in physical education. Many teachers are met with critism from co workers, students, and parents. Those who do not see the importance in being physically educated. We must give reasons, have proof to back up the importance of fitness, and stand up for what we believe is important. In the classroom we must keep students excited, keep them guessing, and have a mysterious way of teaching. Teach through the physical, understand developmental stages to help in knowing how to break down skills. What I have learned in this course is just the tip of the iceburg, but I am happy to have a base knowledge that I can continue to expand.

This lab made a great ending to our visits to Saint Mary's. From the moment our class walked into the gym in costume it was easy to notice how excited the students were. My group and I were Pre K this week, and since the lighting in the classrooms were being fixed the class was relocated to the cafetria. We weren't able to use everything we came with, but still I thought our time with the group was well spent. Each student was given their own cape to decorate, and what each student came up with was awesome to see. Some students drew flowers, stars, their family or their own super hero. It was great to see how much the students liked the craft, and I had a lot of fun helping and talking to some of the children. When beginning our gym games, we started off with a simple super hero tag game to release some of the students energy. We then gathered them together, went over a few rules, and began games with the parachute. The Pre K seemed to love making waves, playing popcorn and especially playing shark. It was hysterical watching how they reacted to air conditioner, which was my favorite game they played. This week was a success, and I think our class did great. Everyone was very involved in getting into costume, and being excited about each activity. This was a great way to end at Saint Mary's.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Our class was outside for this weeks lab, which shook things up just a bit. Being outside seemed to make the students more hyper, and there are obviously more distractions. How warm it is, the wind velocity, rain, sun, all of these elements of weather can affect a lesson. With this said, when teaching lessons outside I must be prepared for these variables by having alternative games, and patience. When watching the gymnasium group teach their games, it seemed at first that the students did not understand and were not focus on the games. But, once more instruction was given, and more time to perform the tasks, the students seemed to settle into the activities. Another important skill to have is the ability to change up the classic schoolyard games. Learn to alter games like kickball, dodgeball, and baseball into more active games that keep students moving. Small, creative changes can make games much more enjoyable and exhilarating for the class. With all said and done, I think this lab went quite well. Our class was met with some challenges, and everyone still stayed focused, and made the best of each situation. This lab was a valuable learning experience because it was our first time teaching outside. The students were very active, and a lot of fun. As we played kickball I found myself laughing to myself at how funny the students were being. I really enjoyed myself, and it was nice to be outside for a change. I was very happy to see that almost every student participated this week, and each of them seemed more willing to participate. Promising the class that they would play kickball or mat ball after we finished our games seemed appealing to them. I had fun this week, the students cracked me up, and I was glad to have things switched up. Everyone did well and learned quite a bit this week.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

I thought this week’s lab went extremely well. My group and I were assigned to the Pre-K class, and so far this has been my favorite age group to work with. They are all so cute, and so enjoyable to be around. They ask you questions, tell you stories, and are excited to do your activities. All said in done, they simply are fun. My group and I made a large poster, and we also printed out different Easter images to have the students color. We then took the images and put them inside the cross that was on the poster. The poster was then hung in the gym inside the Pre-K area. I felt this craft was nice because it added some color to the gym; it wasn’t just a sheet of paper the students colored and brought home, but rather something they could see everyday hung in the school. Our game was a success too, and the students seemed to enjoy it. It was surprising to me how much they liked the eggs we used for the tossing. Hah at one point several students all bombarded me seeing if they could have one to take home. And not only were our Pre-K students taking part in the activity, but I noticed that several of the older children were watching and wanted to know what we were doing. For another lab it seemed that music really helped the involvement in the games, and helps the children to cut loose and have fun. Our group really did our best to incorporate the Easter theme into our plan for the lab, and this too seemed to get the children excited. I hope that for the last two labs our class can continue to involve the theme. All said and done it seemed like everyone this week really did well. We all had our activities planned out well, involved music, and got into the Easter spirit. This in my eyes was our most successful lab yet, and I hope the rest follow suite! I really did have a blast, and I hope the kids did too.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Yesterday was Lab 3 at St. Mary's and the theme was Dinosaur Train. The kids were very wired and energetic, and it seemed that the first two groups to teach struggled with getting the students focused. I think this lab showed all of us (Cortland students) how important it is to think through how you will explain your games. And it seems the best method of teaching is to incorporate specific instruction, use demonstrations, and language that is understood. The Pre-K group did well giving clear instructions to their students, they used hoops, jump ropes, and instruction to get the young children to understand and stay involved in their games. The younger the children are, the more it seems you have to use visual instructions, and verbal explanations. This week, my group was in charge of putting together an ending game, song, and cheer. I felt that our activities went great, even better than we had hoped. We did our best to really incorporate the dinosaur theme, and the kids seemed to love it. Ben created a good visual tool for the Dinosaur Hokie Pokie, and I thought it really helped the success of the dance. I thought the lab ended on a very positive note, and it was nice that our classmates helped increase the enthusiasm of the students. This lab was a lot of fun, and I think each one of us learned some valuable teaching lessons from it.